Get Ready for Summer! Ideas for Teachers to Share with Families<\/p>\n
By:\u00a0Reading Rockets<\/a><\/p>\n Reading Rockets has packed a “virtual beach bag” of activities for teachers to help families get ready for summer and to launch students to fun, enriching summertime experiences. Educators will find materials to download and distribute as well as ideas and resources to offer to students and parents to help ensure summer learning gain rather than loss.<\/p>\n The school bell may stop ringing, but summer is a great time for all kinds of learning opportunities for kids. Reading Rockets packed this beach bag full of activities for teachers to help families get ready for summer and to launch students to fun, enriching summertime experiences.<\/p>\n In the beach bag you’ll find materials you can download and distribute, but you’ll also find ideas for things that you may want to gather and offer to students and parents and for connections you’ll want to make to help ensure summer learning gain rather than loss.<\/p>\n In this article:<\/p>\n Ideas for summer learning fun<\/p>\n Check out Reading Rockets’ new summer website,\u00a0Start with a Book<\/strong><\/a>. You’ll find a treasure trove of themed children’s books, parent\u2013child activities, and other great resources for summer learning.<\/p>\n Offer recommendations for active learning experiences.<\/strong>\u00a0Check with your local department of parks and recreation about camps and other activities. Find out what exhibits, events, or concerts are happening in your town over the summer. Create a directory or calendar of local summer learning fun to share with your students and their families. (Be sure to note any costs involved.)<\/p>\n Encourage parents to build reading and writing into everyday activities.<\/strong>\u00a0Some ideas to pass along: (1) watching TV with the sound off and closed captioning on, (2) reading directions for how to play a new game, or (3) helping with meals by writing up a grocery list, finding things in the grocery store, and reading the recipe aloud for mom or dad during cooking time. More ideas at\u00a0PBS Parents<\/a>\u00a0(in Spanish, too).<\/p>\n Summer trading cards.<\/strong>\u00a0Kids can dive deeper into summer reading by exploring characters with the\u00a0Trading Cards activity<\/a>\u00a0from ReadWriteThink, which provides students with the opportunity to expand their understanding of the reading by creating new storylines and characters. A nifty\u00a0Trading Card interactive tool<\/a>\u00a0provides additional support.<\/p>\n Encourage writing.<\/strong>\u00a0Give each of your students a stamped, addressed postcard so they can write to you about their summer adventures. Or recycle school notebooks and paper into summer journals or scrapbooks. Another way to engage young writers is to encourage your students to spend some time researching and writing\u00a0community stories<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 not only does it build research and writing skills, but helps kids develop a deeper sense of place. And check out the\u00a0pen pal project<\/a>\u00a0at Great Schools. Find more good\u00a0summer writing ideas<\/a>\u00a0from Start with a Book: keep a nature journal, create a poetree, share a recipe, or keep a scrapbook of reviews of summer adventures.<\/p>\n Kids blog!<\/strong>\u00a0Arrange for a safe, closed community so that your students can blog over the summer.\u00a0Edublogs<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kidblog<\/a>\u00a0offer teachers and students free blog space and appropriate security.\u00a0Free, disposable e-mail accounts<\/a>\u00a0are available at Mailinator. Students can create an account there, use the address long enough to establish the blog and password, and then abandon it.<\/p>\n Be an active citizen.<\/strong>\u00a0Kids who participate in community service activities gain not only new skills but self-confidence and self-esteem. Help them zoom into action! Resources from\u00a0ZOOM<\/a>\u00a0can help them get the most out of helping others this summer.<\/p>\n Real world reading.<\/strong>\u00a0Newsela<\/a>\u00a0builds nonfiction literacy and awareness of world events by providing access to hundreds of leveled news articles and Common Core\u2013aligned quizzes, with new articles every day. The bloggers on\u00a0The Uncommon Corps<\/a>\u00a0are enthusiastic champions of nonfiction literature for kids and young adults, and offer many ideas for integrating nonfiction into the Common Core classroom (or any classroom). For more book ideas to share with parents, check out the\u00a0Orbis Pictus Award<\/a>\u00a0winners \u2014 outstanding nonfiction for children, presented by the National Council of Teachers of English. Share these tip sheets with parents (available in English and Spanish):\u00a0Getting the Most Out of Nonfiction Reading Time<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0How to Read Nonfiction Text<\/a>. And don’t forget to check out our\u00a0Nonfiction for Kids<\/a>\u00a0section<\/p>\n Active bodies. Active minds.<\/strong>\u00a0First Lady Michele Obama is leading the national Let’s Move initiative \u2014 with the goal of raising a healthier generation of children.\u00a0Let’s Move Outside<\/a>\u00a0has lots of ideas to help kids get the 60 minutes of active play they need everyday.\u00a0ilovelibraries<\/a>\u00a0has suggestions for staying fit and having fun that start at your local library. This year’s theme at the\u00a0Collaborative Summer Library Program<\/a>\u00a0(CSLP): On your mark, get set … read! At the CSLP website, you’ll find a\u00a0bibliography<\/a>\u00a0of children’s books, DVDs, and more all about being active<\/p>\n Get into geocaching.<\/strong>\u00a0Everyone loves a scavenger hunt! Get in on the latest outdoor craze with geocaching, where families search for hidden “caches” or containers using handheld GPS tools (or a GPS app on your smart phone). Try a variation on geocaching called earthcaching where you seek out and learn about unique geologic features. Find more details about geocaching plus links to geocaching websites in this article from the School Family website,\u00a0Geocaching 101: Family Fun for All, in Every Season<\/a>. Or follow one young family on their geocaching adventure:\u00a0Geocaching with Kids: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt<\/a>.<\/p>\n Watch a garden grow<\/strong>\u00a0and build research, reading, and writing skills with this\u00a0summer project<\/a>\u00a0from ReadWriteThink. Children are encouraged to write questions and observations in a summer garden journal. Or check out the\u00a0Kids Gardening website<\/a>\u00a0for lots of great ideas and resources for family (and school) gardening.<\/p>\n Make cool things<\/strong>. “Dad, dad, dad, can we make a samurai sword?…”\u00a0Dad Can Do<\/a>\u00a0is a wonderful site full of crafty ideas that bring fathers and kids together. Make a wizard’s wand, paper planes, spaceships, ex libris, and quirky things like an origami cowboy shirt (think Woody from “Toy Story”) \u2014 mostly from inexpensive or recycled materials.<\/p>\n Help parents plan ahead for fall.<\/strong>\u00a0Work with the teachers a grade level above to develop a short list of what their new students have to look forward to when they return to school. For example, if rising third graders will be studying ancient cultures, suggest that parents check out educational TV, movies, or local museums that can provide valuable background information on that topic.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Ideas for summer reading fun<\/p>\n Make sure kids have something to read during the summer<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 put books into children’s hands.\u00a0Register<\/a>\u00a0with First Book and gain access to award-winning new books for free and to deeply discounted new books and educational materials or\u00a0find<\/a>\u00a0other national and local programs and organizations that can help.<\/p>\n Get your local public library to sign kids up for summer reading before school is out.<\/strong>\u00a0Invite or ask your school librarian to coordinate a visit from the children’s librarian at the public library near the end of the school year. Ask them to talk about summer activities, educational videos, and audio books at the library and to distribute summer reading program materials.<\/p>\n Get to know your community public library better.<\/strong>\u00a0Find out if your public library is part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a grassroots effort to provide high-quality summer reading programs for kids. The theme for 2016 is\u00a0On your mark, get set … read!<\/a>\u00a0Color\u00edn Colorado has tips for parents\u00a0in English<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0in Spanish<\/a>\u00a0about visiting the local library. Or check out our top 9 reasons to\u00a0rediscover your public library<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let parents and kids know about the free summer reading incentive programs.<\/strong>\u00a0At Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program, find out how to\u00a0Ignite a Summer of Reading<\/a>.The\u00a0Scholastic\u00a0<\/a>Be a Reading Superhero\u00a0<\/a>Summer Reading Challenge<\/a>\u00a0encourages kids to log the minutes they spend reading and map their accomplishments. Kids can participate in weekly challenges, earn digital rewards, and enter to win prizes. With the\u00a0Barnes & Noble Imagination’s Destination<\/a>\u00a0challenge, your child can earn a free book after reading eight books (and parents receive a summer reading kit full of activities). With the\u00a0TD Bank Summer Reading Program<\/a>, kids read and keep track of 10 books and can get $10 added to their Young Saver account.<\/p>\n Help kids build math and science skills over the summer.<\/strong>\u00a0Share our\u00a0Literacy in the Sciences series<\/a>\u00a0with families. Each one-page tip sheet (in English and Spanish) suggests easy hands-on activities as well as fiction and nonfiction books to extend the learning. In this section you’ll also find links to great science websites for kids, blogs about children’s science books, and links to PBS KIDS science programs and activities.<\/p>\n Encourage parents to start a neighborhood book club<\/strong>\u00a0with other families this summer. It’s a great way to keep the summer learning social and low-key. Warmer weather can inspire some not-so-run-of-the-mill meeting places, too: a tent or picnic blanket in the backyard. If the book club catches on, it’s something to continue throughout the school year. PBS Parents has a wonderful collection of\u00a0tips on how to start a club<\/a>\u00a0and encourage great discussions. Our special education blogger, June Behrmann, shares ideas (and title selections) for starting your own\u00a0mother-daughter “accessible ” book club using print alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n Suggest to parents that they set up a summer listening program<\/strong>\u00a0which encourages their children to\u00a0listen to written language<\/a>. Research shows that some children with learning disabilities profit from reading the text and listening to it at the same time.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Online activities for families<\/p>\n Share examples of good interactive educational websites<\/strong>\u00a0that parents and young kids can explore together.\u00a0PBS KIDS Lab<\/a>\u00a0offers the newest educational games, activities and mobile apps, for kids PreK to grade 3.There are lots of other quality websites for kids \u2014 here are a few more of our favorites:<\/p>\n Introduce your students and their families to stories from around the world<\/strong>. Let them know about the\u00a0International Children’s Digital Library<\/a>, an amazing (and growing!) collection of international children’s books available to read online in their original languages.\u00a0Big Universe<\/a>\u00a0is another online library of fiction and nonfiction books for kids 0-12. The site also offers adults and kids the chance to create and publish their own stories.<\/p>\n Suggest audio books as an alternative to print,<\/strong>\u00a0especially for kids with learning disabilities that make reading a struggle. You can now download stories to iPods and other mobile devices, perfect for car rides or a lazy hot afternoon.\u00a0Tales2Go<\/a>\u00a0offers high-quality kids’ books through a mobile streaming service.\u00a0AudibleKids<\/a>\u00a0has an extensive collection of downloadable books, and some of them are free through a partnership with RIF. Find more options for audio books\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0or browse our list of\u00a0Favorite Audio Books<\/a>.<\/p>\n For students with vision or learning disabilities,<\/strong>\u00a0tell your parents about\u00a0Learning Ally<\/a>\u00a0(formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic), which provides free audio books for kids to listen over the summer. Find lots more ideas and resources for accessible print on the blog,\u00a0Aiming for Access<\/a>.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Print and share with parents<\/p>\n Distribute a checklist for parents<\/strong>\u00a0that provides tips on how to\u00a0find a great summer program.<\/a>\u00a0This one, developed by the National Summer Learning Association, is a good basic resource.<\/p>\n Build background knowledge.<\/strong>\u00a0Put an\u00a0article about summer learning<\/a>\u00a0in your school or PTA newsletter.<\/p>\n Use books as a springboard for conversation, creativity, and acquiring new background knowledge<\/strong>\u00a0by sharing the Reading Rockets\u00a0Reading Adventure Packs<\/a>\u00a0with your students’ families. These themed packs combine fiction and nonfiction books with simple, hands-on activities that kids and parents can do together.<\/p>\n Give parents a tool to help them promote healthy and balanced media use<\/strong>\u00a0at home during the summer months. The\u00a0PACT<\/a>\u00a0from the National PTA may help families come up with good screen time compromises. The PTA also offers this helpful article,\u00a0Hitting the Off Button: How parents can stand up for less screen time at home<\/a>.<\/p>\n Help parents create a literacy friendly house for the summer<\/strong>\u00a0(and all year round) with these\u00a0summer reading resources from Reading Is Fundamental<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 including booklists, activities, tips, and more to keep kids reading and learning throughout the summer and all year long.<\/p>\n Offer reading reminders to parents<\/strong>\u00a0with these\u00a0tip sheets<\/a>\u00a0from Reading Rockets available in 11 languages.<\/p>\n Recommend good summer reads that match your students’ interests.<\/strong>\u00a0You might start with our\u00a0Summer Reading Booklists<\/a>\u00a0with suggestions for kids 0 to 9 years old.<\/p>\n Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Print and share with kids<\/p>\n Promote simple, fun items that support the reading habit.<\/strong>\u00a0Reading Rockets has created a “Warning! Reading Rocket in Orbit”\u00a0door hanger<\/a>\u00a0in English and Spanish.<\/p>\n Recommend some great summer reads that match your students’ interests.<\/strong>\u00a0Books about\u00a0summer stuff<\/a>\u00a0are fun summertime reads. Download the Reading Rockets\u00a0summer reading booklists<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 lots of good suggestions for kids up to 9 years old. Or ask your school or public librarian for an age appropriate reading list.<\/p>\n Some students enjoy doing worksheets<\/strong>\u00a0while others get very excited about puzzle books and word scrambles, so you might send home a few of these types of activities as an option. Teacher Planet offers loads of links to summer-themed printable\u00a0activity sheets<\/a>. And HarperCollins Children’s Books has\u00a0literature quizzes, games, and printables<\/a>\u00a0in their Games & Contests section.<\/p>\n\n
\n